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The Vanduzen Bear Hunt 
An Impromptu Affair in which the Entire 
Family Takes Active Part 
By WM. PERRY BROWN 
I T was milking time, between sunset and dark, 
at the VanDuzen farm on Wacheesa Moun¬ 
tain, near the headwaters of the Little 
Kanawha River. Wat VanDuzen had just driven 
the cows into the barnyard, and he and his 
brother Ely had gone to milk them. Their 
father was seated in the kitchen door re¬ 
pairing a hand rake. Sar-Ann, a girl of ten, 
was standing on the woodpile in front, gather¬ 
ing cherries from a tree that overhung the 
fence. A pet sheep which pastured with the 
cows was in the lane just beyond the barnyard 
bars. Two lambs were with the sheep. 
Suddenly the boys heard one of the lambs 
bleat pitifully, and the other one came leaping 
over the bars into the yard. At the same 
moment the girl called out from the woodpile: 
“Oh, Wat! oh Ely! a big black dog is catch¬ 
ing one of our lambs.” 
The boys jumped up and ran to the bars. In 
the lane they saw a large black bear throttling 
one of the lambs, while the pet sheep was butt¬ 
ing at the bear in behalf of her offspring. 
The bear had come out of an alder thicket 
in the nearby woods pasture, having doubtless 
been run astray from its usual haunts by dogs. 
At sight of the bear the boys turned and ran 
for the house “to get the gun,” they said. 
Boarding at the VanDuzen’s was Walter 
Harris, a young man from Wheeling, on a sum¬ 
mer outing in the mountains. Trout and game 
were plentiful thereabouts, even deer in the 
open season, but—bear! No one had bargained 
for bruin to come hunting the hunters or, in 
fact, to be easily come by even in his own fast¬ 
nesses. After supper Harris had taken a rod, 
gun and bait, and gone to a small branch in 
the pasture to try for some brook trout for 
breakfast. He was then returning across the 
field in fine spirits with a string of small trout 
when he saw the bear, hardly knowing what it 
was in the dusk, and he heard Sar-Ann scream¬ 
ing. Dropping rod and fish he ran to the fence 
line and fired at the bear. But the rifle was 
only a small .22, intended mostly for squirrels, 
and probably the bullet only stung the animal 
enough to irritate, but not to injure him seri¬ 
ously. However, at the gun’s crack the bear 
let the lamb go, ran along the lane and jumped 
the bars into the barnyard. 
There were a dozen cows and steers 'in the 
yard, and the sight and smell of the bear set 
them wild. Some tried to gore the bear; all ran 
about bellowing and snorting. Bruin turned this 
way and that, and finding the locality too hot, 
tried to get back out as he had come in. 
Meantime Harris, having put in a fresh car¬ 
tridge, saluted Br’er B’ar with another shot from 
the .22. Turning back, the bear ran through the 
cattle again to some bars on that side and 
jumped into the dooryard. 
By this time the whole family was astir, all 
shouting and running. The two boys had got 
their own big shotgun and were trying to load 
it. Mr. VanDuzen had rushed forth, hand rake 
in hand, and even old Grandpa VanDuzen, then 
ill with rheumatics, stumbled out from the 
kitchen, waving his cane and shouting, “Hey, 
there; hey, there! Git out!” The bear then 
turned to run into the kitchen garden, almost 
in the path of Sar-Ann on the woodpile. At 
that the girl redoubled her screams, and either 
startled at these cries or seeing Harris again, 
who now came running up from the other side 
of the barnyard, the bear once more turned and 
ran toward a long open woodshed, which ex¬ 
tended from the house to the barn. This shed 
was empty and there was a door at the rear 
that was partly open. Apparently the bear saw 
the opening, for he made for it, passing into 
ihe shed; but it so happened that a puff of the 
evening breeze swung the door to just as the 
bear approached. Having little notion of swing¬ 
ing doors, Br’er B’ar, thus headed off, turned, 
uttering a snarl of anger and tried to get back 
out of the shed. 
Meanwhile Harris was making frantic efforts 
to cram in another cartridge, and had run up 
close behind the bear to get a third shot before 
it got through the door. In his flurry he for¬ 
got to set the hammer of the little old-style 
rifle at half cock, and the base of the barrel 
hung and wedged fast on the plunger, so that 
he could neither open nor close it. More intent 
on his gun, for the instant, than on the bear, 
the now thoroughly startled animal, whirling, 
leaped at the young man before he could move. 
In a trice the bear had him down and was 
tearing at his clothes, inflicting more than one 
serious scratch; Harris, the while, kicking, yell¬ 
ing, pummeling bruin’s head and trying to choke 
the brute. VanDuzen ran in and broke his rake 
over the bear’s back, then punched him with t: 
handle until bruin, now fully aroused, turn I 
from Harris and sprang after this new assaila. 
Being able to make little impression with 1 
slight a weapon, VanDuzen retreated, punchi; 
and fending as best he could, and in the strug;: 
upset Grandpa VanDuzen, then hobbling to t: 
rescue with his heavy cane. Wat and Ely, ho 
ever, had at last got their big-bored old she 
gun loaded, with powder, at least. Wat, Tu¬ 
ning up, fired it at such close range that bru 
with his hair singed and smoking, ran back in. 
the woodshed again. There he stood on the c 
fensive, growling in a manner that indicat 
that he was at last in a dangerous mood. Han 
had jumped up and fled, his clothing torn in 
shreds, while Mr. VanDuzen was calling loud 
for someone to bring him the axe from t 
woodpile. 
At this juncture Mrs. VanDuzen took a hai 
in the proceedings. She had been heating wat 
for a hot bath for grandpa. Suddenly openii 
the door from the kitchen into the woodsh 
she threw a large dipper of scalding water ; 
over the bear. This probably did the bear mo 
damage than all the shooting and thumping tl ! 
animal had previously undergone. 
Uttering loud yelpings of pain, bruin ran tl 
length of the shed to an open doorway leadir 
into the barn. Here was a calf pen on the ba 
floor, and three short bars in the doorway ke 
the calves from invading the shed. Seeing th 
refuge, the bear leaped over the bars into tl 
midst of several hungry calves waiting for the 
supper. When bruin landed, there was • a gre> 
scampering and bawling, to which the cows 
the barnyard added a concerned and excite 
chorus. The surrounding cliffs and hills echot; 
to their dissonant and agonizing bellowings. 
“He’s in the barn! The critter’s in the barn 
shouted every VanDuzen in dismay. 
“Load up agin, boys!” commanded the fathe 
“Put in lead, nails—anything that ’ll kill. W 
got him now, dern his ornery hide!” 
Harris, recovering from his panic, managi 
to get his .22 in firing shape again, while tl 
boys, shoving a handful of powder in each ba 
rel, with wadding on top, fairly crammed 
lead sinkers from their tackle, nails; in fac 
anything, as VanDuzen said, that would k 
Very cautiously they opened the big barn doo 
and peeped in. The calves had jumped fro 
the pen and were scampering here and there 
search of some outlet for escape. When the b 
doors opened they bolted out in the meadow, b' 
the bear did not seem to be in sight. Wid< 
they opened the big doors. At last Wat spif 
him up on a scaffolding where was stored a bo! 
sled painted red that was used in winter wh<! 
the snows grew deep. 
Over the side of this sled Wat discovered tl 
bear’s head. The much-hunted creature hr 
